Ars Lyrica to Perform Handel's MESSIAH

First performed in the spring of 1742, this musical masterpiece by George Frideric Handel has become one of the world's most beloved musical works. Although more traditionally performed during Christmastime, this timeless Baroque masterpiece was intended by Handel as an Easter offering.

The critically acclaimed Orpheus Chamber Singers from Dallas will return for a collaboration on this monumental oratorio with conductor John Butt, whose recent recording of the Mozart Requiem with the Dunedin Consort won a Gramophone Award in 2014.

An Easter Messiah will be a performance of the complete work, with a cast of stellar soloists, like tenor Aaron Sheehan (2015 Grammy Winner for Best Opera Recording) and soprano Melissa Givens, and full Baroque orchestra lead by Artistic Director Matthew Dirst. Full of glorious choruses and moving solos, this grand oratorio will showcase some of Handel's most inspired works, including "Ev'ry Valley Shall Be Exalted," "O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings to Zion" and the famous "Hallelujah" chorus.

Nearing 275 years, the controversy surrounding the music of Messiah still attracts scholars across the globe to debate on the history and meaning of it all. In recognition of the timelessness of this debate, Ars Lyrica has partnered with the University of Houston's Moores School of Music, in conjunction with the performance, for a very special event:

"AND HIS BURTHEN IS LIGHT"? HANDEL'S MESSIAH and ITS CULTURAL BAGGAGE - This symposium takes place at the Moores School of Music, (Room 160) University of Houston, on Friday, April 1 from 2:30-4:30 pm. Featured speakers include Michael Marissen, author of Tainted Glory in Handel's Messiah: The Unsettling History of the World's Most Beloved Choral Work (Yale University Press, 2014); and John Butt, Matthew Dirst and Jeffrey Sposato of the Moores School musicology faculty.

?An Easter Messiah performance will take place on Saturday, April 2, at 7:30p.m., at ZILKHA HALL, HOBBY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, 800 Bagby Street, Houston, Texas 77002. Tickets range from $37 to $59. Student tickets are $22. A limited number of concert tickets for this performance will also be available at the Hobby Center Box Office up to one hour prior to concert start time. To purchase tickets, visit the Ars Lyrica Houston website at www.arslyricahouston.org or call the Hobby Center Box Office at 713-315-2525.

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